We’re driven by one goal: to increase the participation of the Rising American Electorate in our democracy.

Founded in 2003, the Voter Participation Center is a research-driven, non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing the participation of unmarried women and other historically-underrepresented groups in our democracy.

Our mission is to increase civic engagement among the Rising American Electorate (RAE): unmarried women (women who are single, widowed, divorced, or separated), people of color, and millennials.

The Rising American Electorate makes up the majority of the voting-eligible population in America, and are responsible for more than 80% of the population growth in the U.S. in recent years. However, the RAE has never cast the majority of votes in any American election.

We’re committed to changing that. By registering and mobilizing the Rising American Electorate during elections and public policy debates, and by conducting groundbreaking research to develop and implement effective registration and mobilization programs, we’re constantly working to help the Rising American electorate become more active participants in our democracy — so that the political conversation reflects their growing demographic strength and importance.

And our work doesn’t end with Election Day… instead, it’s just beginning. We’re committed to year-round civic engagement to build an infrastructure of citizens who take an active role in ensuring a representative democracy.

VPC was formerly known as Women’s Voices Women Vote (WVWV). We formally changed our name in 2011 as we found our focus expanding beyond our original emphasis on unmarried women, to include the entire Rising American Electorate. But we’re still particularly interested in registering and activating unmarried women, because they’re such a large portion of the RAE and because marital status is still a top determinant of whether a woman will register, vote, and participate in our democracy.